


23 Days

by VeryImportantDemon



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Aliens, Bones is So Done, Bones is a doctor not a starship captain, Christine Chapel is a godsend, Gen, He is not happy but he'll do it, I'm doing my best, Jim makes Leonard captain, Leonard "Bones" McCoy is a Good Friend, M/M, Misadventures, vague sci-fi words
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-06 20:37:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17352185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeryImportantDemon/pseuds/VeryImportantDemon
Summary: Leonard froze, his palm just above the door lock. However, he didn’t stay still for long, whipping around to meet Jim’s eyes. “I’m sorry, what?” he said. “You want me to do what?”





	1. T-Minus 2 Days

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea I had that I couldn't let go of - what if Bones were, for some reason, made acting captain of the Enterprise? It's just for fun and I'll have a chapter for each day written. There may not be exactly 23, though, if nothing happens worthy of it's own chapter.

_ T-Minus 2 Days _

“Bones, I need you to do me a favor.” 

 

The long-suffering doctor heaved a sigh. He knew that voice anywhere and he knew it spelled trouble. Jim Kirk asking for a favor was never anything good. “I’m a little busy,” he said, not bothering to look up from the sink where he was scrubbing blood and grime from underneath his nails. 

 

“It’s okay, I’ll wait,” Jim said cheerfully. Leonard finally looks up, narrowing his eyes at his captain, his calloused hands still under the running water. 

 

“Damn,” he muttered, turning it off and shaking them dry before wiping them on the front of his white coat. “Thought maybe you would’ve gone by now.” Jim shrugged, his eyes following Leonard as the older man took off his coat, draping it over his arm and crossing the medbay. Jim lingered behind at the sink for a few paces before Leonard called back. “Walk and talk, Jim. I got shit to do.” 

 

Jim quickly caught up, his long legs eating up the distance. “I need you to be captain,” he said. 

 

Leonard froze, his palm just above the door lock. However, he didn’t stay still for long, whipping around to meet Jim’s eyes. “I’m sorry, what?” he said. “You want me to do what?”

 

“Be captain,” Jim prompted, his hands behind his back and bouncing up and down on his toes. “It’ll just be for a few days. I need Spock, Uhura, and Sulu down on planet with me to help out with the Rultluun and Rultleen treaties. You’re basically the next highest-ranking officer on the ship, so I need you to be acting captain while we’re gone.”

 

Leonard dropped his coat, grabbing Jim’s chin with one hand, tipping it back, and looking deep into his eyes. “Ow, Bones, what the hell?” Jim chirped, dancing back out of his grip. “What’s the for?”

 

“I’m checking you for a concussion.” Leonard said. “You can’t be right up there because it sounds like you just asked be to be captain.”

 

“I did,” Jim said.

 

“Goddammit, Jim,” Leonard said, his eyes closed and his palm over his face. “I’m a  _ doctor,  _ not a  _ fucking starship captain. _ ”


	2. Chapter 2

_ T-Minus 1 Day _

Leonard didn’t like wearing yellow. It was too weird to see yellow when he should be seeing blue. He had just pulled his brand-new - well, not brand-new, he’d stolen it from Jim’s quarters - command yellow Starfleet top on and was contemplating the  _ wrongness _ of the whole thing when the door to his quarters swished open gently. 

 

“Looking good, Captain Bonesy,” Jim said cheekily from the doorway, leaning against the frame. 

 

“Shut the fuck up,” Leonard said, smacking Jim on the back of the head as he exited. “You ready to go?”

 

The doors slid shut behind him and Jim shrugged as the pair made their way down the hall towards the command center where the landing party would leave. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” he said. “I told you about the communications, right?” he added. 

 

Leonard hummed in acknowledgement. “Yeah. Both the Rultluun and the Rultleen are distrustful of technology and you’re going to limit its use in order to not upset them. But you’re going to be checking in when?”

 

“Once a day,” Jim supplied. Leonard nodded again, satisfied with the answer. He didn’t like the idea of the party down on the planet with no technology at all. They would, however, be permitted by Rultluun and Rultleen leaders to have a small, old-fashioned communicator that could only transmit text. “Thing’s practically Stone Age…”

 

“You got that right,” Leonard said. It was primitive, at least by the standards of men accustomed to the wonders of modern technology. He had the matching communicator already tucked in his pocket and Jim had his. It would be fine. Even though Leonard was going to be outside the planet’s atmosphere and Jim was going to be down on the surface, very far apart, it was going to be fine. Leonard could handle this. He could do this. He could be captain for a couple days. 

 

Sensing his discomfort, Jim clapped the doctor on the back as they moved closer to the bridge. “You’ll do great, Bones,” he promised. 

 

“I’d better,” Leonard grouched. “How long is this gonna take again?”

 

“Couple of days,” Jim said. “I’m guessing three or four at most.” Leonard sighed gratefully and was about to speak when Jim started up again. “Besides, what can go-”

 

“Don’t you fucking dare,” Leonard threatened. “Don’t you fucking date finish that sentence. I swear to God, I’ll kick your ass so hard you’re still gonna be feeling it when this five year mission is over.” Jim laughed, holding his hands up in a call for peace. 

 

“Alright, alright…” He pressed one plan to the door unlock and they slid open obediently. He led the way into the control where the rest of the away team and the remaining crew of the bridge were waiting. Leonard was greeted by an oddly-familiar wolf whistle and a thick Scottish accent. 

 

“Lookin’ good in the yellow, Captain!” Leonard threw a glare in Scotty’s direction. 

 

“Why are you here anyway?” he said, his eyes narrowed. Scotty shrugged. 

 

“Dunno,” he said. “I was bored. Nothin’s broke so I thought I’d come see this lot off.” 

 

Leonard turned, already tuning the engineer out. He needed to focus on the task at hand. And that task was now standing between Sulu and Spock. “Keep your eyes to yourself, Scotty, he’s mine,” Jim said with a laugh, his bright blue eyes glittering. Leonard forced himself not to blush like a schoolgirl and was luckily provided a distraction as Spock spoke. 

 

“I wish you luck with the  _ Enterprise _ , Doctor,” the Vulcan said, inclining his head slightly. 

 

“Thanks,” Leonard muttered. “God knows I’m gonna need it…” 

 

Jim spoke next, holding out his hand. Leonard took it, his oldest friend squeezing it tightly. “Good luck, Captain,” he said, winking. 

 

“You, too,” Leonard said as they parted and the landing crew stepped back, closer together. “Be safe. Don’t pull any stupid shit. And come back soon, dammit.” 

 

“We’ll do our best,” Uhura said, smiling reassuringly at Leonard. He smiled faintly back, the anxious knot in the pit of his stomach loosening. 

 

“Beam us down, Scotty,” Jim said with a wry smile.

 

The joking order was greeted by soft noises of protest by Chekhov sitting at the controls. But the air around the landing party started to shimmer regardless. Jim and Leonard locked eyes and Leonard saved that last smile in his memory as they disappeared. 

 

“Welcome to the  _ Enterprise,  _ Captain,” Chekhov said, his accent thick and his attitude chipper. “We are happy to have you on the bridge.” 


	3. Day 1

_ Day 1 _

Leonard lived on a starship. His best friend was a captain. Despite both of these things, he didn’t know how to be a captain. He was a doctor! He wasn’t cut out for this. Jim has assured him, however, that he could do it. It was only for a few days, after all. He could handle it. Somehow he doubted it was that easy but he couldn’t exactly say no. Who else would he turn to? 

 

He turned slightly, the captain’s chair in the corner of his eye. He immediately moved across the bridge, sinking into the chair. “It is a nice chair,” he mused to himself. He allowed himself another moment of peace before he spoke again. “Alright,” he began, “What’s the first crisis?” Maybe Leonard believed in jinxes, but not in this case. He knew his luck and the luck of the  _ Enterprise  _ herself. Leonard called it  _ Jim Kirk’s Law _ : anything that could go wrong would go wrong. 

 

“Aye, Cap’n, I think we’re-” Before Scotty could finish, the ship lurched forward. It was a small movement but it upset Scotty’s perch on one of the consoles lining the bridge. Leonard would’ve snorted if he wasn’t more concerned about the ship. 

 

“The fuck was that?” he said. The engineer shrugged from the ground. 

 

“Hell if I know,” he said. “I should probably go check that out.”

 

“Yeah, you should,” Leonard said darkly. “Report back as soon as you find out what it is and how to fix it.” Scotty hummed and bobbed his head again, turning on his heel and immediately sliding out of the bridge. Leonard ran a hand over his face before dropping it to his lap, sighing, and sitting up. 

 

“Jesus,” he said. “This is gonna be a long couple days.”

 

***

 

Leonard felt as if he’d barely settled down again when his comm buzzed at his hip. “Lord,” he said, pulling it out. “Talk to me, Scotty.” But the voice that came out of it wasn’t Scotty’s. 

 

“Are you alright, Leonard?” M’Benga asked. “You were scheduled to start the next shift an hour ago.”

 

The doctor swore loudly under his breath, Chekov flinching across the bridge. “Fuck,” he said. “I totally forgot about that!” 

 

“Forgot?” M’Benga repeated. “You’re not one to forget, Leonard.”

 

“I’m not,” he said. “Give me a minute and I’ll be down.” He was already headed towards the medbay before he was even finished speaking. “If anything happens, comm me,” he called back to Chekov. “I’ll be in medbay. Tell Scotty if he comes back up here.” He had already started to jog down the halls, not waiting for an answer. 

 

It had completely slipped his mind that he was on the last shift today. He had been so consumed by worrying about the landing party and being captain that it hadn’t even occurred to him. Leonard made it from the bridge to the medbay quicker than he ever had. He was just slightly out of breath when he burst through the doors. “I’m here,” he said. “I’m here. Sorry.” He looked up, meeting M’Benga’s eyes. The other doctor was frowning. 

 

“What are you wearing?” he asked. For a beat, Leonard didn’t see what the problem was. Then he looked down and noticed the yellow. 

 

“It’s Jim’s,” he said. “I’m the captain.” 

 

M’Benga’s frown deepened, like that wasn’t the answered he’d been expecting. “Captain? What do you mean you’re captain?” 

 

Leonard shrugged again. “Fuck if I know. Kirk took Spock, Uhura, and Sulu down to the planet with him for negotiations. He said I was the highest ranking officer left and he made me acting captain.” M’Benga whistled low. 

 

“Wow,” he said. “That’s going be fun.” 

 

Leonard nodded. “You’re telling me. He said it should only be a couple days. Here’s hoping. What do I have first today?” he asked. A few moments later and two ensigns entered, the female supporting the male. 

 

“That,” M’Benga said, indicating the pair. Leonard sighed and turned slightly, catching their eye. 

 

“He fell,” the woman said. “I think he sprained his ankle or something.” 

 

Leonard jerked his head towards on unoccupied biobed. “Sit there,” he said. “I’ll look at it.”

 

“Good luck, Captain,” M’Benga said, mildly amused. Leonard rolled his eyes and pushed up his sleeves, ready to treat his patient. 

 

***

 

It was a few hours or so of their usual - patients drifting in and out. Chekov hadn’t commed to say the bridge was on fire and he hadn’t heard from Scotty, either. Things were quiet. Too quiet. It was making Leonard nervous. Things weren’t just quiet on the  _ Enterprise.  _ Calm was a harbinger of terrible things. The doctor sat down on the edge of a vacant biobed, bouncing his leg while his hands were cupped around a mug of coffee. 

 

“What are you all anxious about?” Nurse Chapel said, appearing from around the corner. Leonard flinched but relaxed instantly.

 

“Didn’t see you,” he said. “Just worryin’.”

 

“About the landing party?” she supplied. Leonard hummed in agreement. 

 

“That, and this whole acting captain gig. And the fact that something’s busted in the ship and it’s my responsibility now. I don’t know shit about the anatomy of a starship.” 

 

Chapel laughed at that. “I suppose we don’t really need to,” she agreed. “But we have to know countless others.”

 

“You got that right,” Leonard said, taking a sip of his coffee. His communicator chose that exact moment to chime brightly. His knee-jerk reaction was to flinch and he did, spilling coffee on his slacks. He swore to the sound of Chapel’s laughter before using his free hand to fish out the communicator. 

 

“I figured it out,” Scotty said cheerfully. “Come down to the engine room. I can show ya what I need.” From the other end of the communicator there was the sound of something banging against something else, something heavy and metal. “Oi, idiot!” Scotty shouted. “Get down from there! Sorry, Cap’n. Engine room, yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” Leonard said, assure of what else he could say. If something was wrong with the ship, he needed to fix it. Or more accurately, get Scotty the parts he needed to get it fixed. It was his job now. “Gimme a minute.” He stuck the comm unit back in his pocket, standing up from the edge of the bed. “Think you and M’Benga can hold down the fort while I go and figure this out?” he asked Chapel. 

 

She laughed slightly, nodding her head. “Of course, Len. Let me know how it goes.” 

 

“You’re a lifesaver, Christine,” Leonard said. “What would I do without you?”

 

“Crash and burn, Len,” she said with a laugh. “Crash and burn.”

 

***

 

There was a very loud humming in Leonard’s ears. It had started when Scotty began to explain the problem with the ship and continued until he’d stopped talking when it slowly faded out. “I didn’t get a word ‘a that,” he said truthfully. He could patch up just about any species in the galaxy. He could cure countless disease. Hell, he could reverse death itself, but one thing the infamous Leonard McCoy could not fix was the  _ Enterprise.  _

 

“S’alright, Cap’n,” Scotty said. “You don’t hafta. I do. I jus’ need a few things to patch up the warp drive and the parking brake and…” His ears started buzzing again and he shook his head. 

 

“What do you need?” he finally managed to ask. 

 

Scotty rattled off his list which Leonard committed to memory quickly. “Where exactly am I supposed to find this shit?” he asked. 

 

The engineer shrugged again. “Hell if I know,” he said. “We can’t go too far outta the way or we may not get back in time to pick up the landin’ party.” 

 

Leonard swore under his breath. So he’d have to find a ship to bring him the parts his engineer needed to patch up the ship. “And without this… Power transfer conduit the warp drive isn’t gonna work?”

 

“No, sir,” Scotty said. “So if someone who doesn’t like us - which happens to be quite a few different planets - shows up…”

 

“We’re sitting ducks,” Leonard finished. “Fuck. Okay, I’ll see what I can do.”

 

“Good man, Captain,” Scotty hummed, patting Leonard on the back. “Maybe I’ll see ya in mess in a couple hours? Seem like you could use a good cuppa coffee with somethin’ special to get ya through this.”

 

“Couple hours?” Leonard asked, frowning. “Breakfast isn’t until…” He trailed off before he realized it was almost time for the next round of shifts to start and with it came breakfast. “Maybe,” he said. “But you’re welcome to bring me a bottle anytime. Probably gonna be on the bridge.”

 

Scotty hummed before giving Leonard and encouraging thumbs-up and disappearing, whistling. Leonard turned on his heel, abandoning the engine room for the bridge. He already had his work cut out for him. 


End file.
